Virgil's Aeneid Book 2: 40-249 L6

primus ibi ante omnis magna comitante caterva (line 40)

first there, in front of everyone accompanied by a huge crowd,

Laocoon ardens summa decurrit ab arce (line 41)

Laocoon, burning, ran down from the top of the citadel,

et procul ‘o miseri, quae tanta insania, cives? (line 42)

and from a distance (shouted) ‘oh wretched citizens, what great madness?

creditis avectos hostis? (beginning of line 43)

Do you believe that the enemy have sailed away?

aut ulla putatis

dona carate dolis Danaum? (line 43-44)

Or do you think any gifts of the Greeks are free from tricks?

sic notus Ulixes? (line 44)

isn’t Ulysses thus known?

aut hoc inclusi ligno occultantur Achivi, (line 45)

Or are the Greeks hidden, shut up in this wood,

aut haec in nostros fabricata est machina muros, (line 46)

or was this machine built against our walls,

inspectura domos venturaque desuper urbi, (libe 47)

to spy on our homes and swoop down on the city from above,

aut aliquis later error; equo ne credite, Teucri. (line 48)

or does some other deception lie hidden; don’t trust the horse, Trojans.

quidquid id est, timeo Danaos et dona ferentis.’ (line 49)

Whatever this is, I fear Greeks even when they are bringing gifts.’

sic fatus validis ingentem viribus hastam

in latus inque feri curvam compagibus alvum

contorsit. (line 50-52)

Having spoken thus, he hurled a huge spear with mighty strength into the side and the arched structure of the belly of the creature.

stretit illa tremens, uteroque recusso (line 52)

That spear, stood trembling, from the reverberating womb,

insonuere cavae gemitumque dedere cavernae. (line 53)

the hollow recess resounded and groaned.

et, si fata deum, si mens non laeva fuisset, (line 54)

And, if the fates of the gods, if the intention had not been favourable,

impulerat ferro Argolicas foedare latebras, (line 55)

he would have compelled us to defile the hiding place of the Greeks with iron,

Troiaque nunc staret, Priamique arx alta maneres. (line 56)

and now Troy would stand, and you, the high citadel of Priam, would still remain.

Ecce, manus iuvenem interea post terra revinctum

pastores magno ad regem clamore trahebant

Dardanidae,

look, meanwhile the Trojan shepherds were dragging the young man, his hands tied behind his back, to the king, with a great shout,

qui se ignotum venientibus ultro,

he who was unknown offered himself to those coming voluntarily,

hoc ipsum ut stueret Troiamque aperiret Achivis,

this very thing to plot and open up Troy to the Greeks,

obtulerat, widens animi atque in utrumque paratus,

confident in his courage and prepared for each (outcomes),

seu versare dolos seu certae occumbere morti.

whether to spin his lies or to meet certain death.

undique visendi studio Troiana iuventus

circumfusa ruit certantque inludere capto.

from all sides, with an eagerness to see, the Trojan youth having poured around and rushed forward and competed to mock the captive.

accipe nunc Danaum insidias et crimine ab uno

disce omnis.

now hear of the plots of the Greeks and learn how everything came from one crime.

namque ut conspectu in medio turbatus, inermis,

for when he stood there in the middle of the sight confused, unarmed,

constitit atque oculis Phrygia agmina circumspexit,

and he looked around at the Trojan ranks with his eyes,

‘heu, quae nunc tellus,’ inquit, ‘quae me aequora possunt

accipere?

he said, ‘alas, what land, what seas can now receive me?

aut quid iam misero miei denique restat,

or what now in the end remains for wretched me,

cui neque apud Danaos usquam locus,

for whom has no place among the Greeks,

et super ipsi

Dardanidae infensi poenas cum sanguine poscunt?’

and in addition to that the hostile Trojans themselves demand penalty with blood?’

quo gemitu conversi animi compresses et omnis

impetus.

with this groan our minds were transformed and all impulses were checked.

hortamur fari quo sanguine cretus,

we urged him to speak from which blood he sprang,

quidve ferat;

or what news he brought;

memoret quae sit fiducia capto.

to say what trust was in his captivity.

[ille haec, depoista tandem formidine, fatur].

[he said these things at last having laid aside his fear]

‘Cuncta equidem tibi, rex, fuerit quodcumque, fatebor

vera,’ inquit;

he said; ‘I, personally speaking, will confess to you the whole truth, whatever it may be,

‘bequest me Argolica de gente negabo.

hoc primum;

I will not deny that I am of the Greek race. First of all;

nec, si miserum Fortuna Sinonem

finxit,

if Fate has made Sinon wretched,

vanum etiam mendacemque improba finget.

she, malicious, will not make me unreliable and deceitful.

fando aliquod si forte tuas pervenit ad auris

Belidae nomen Palamedis

if by chance, in talk, some name, Palamedos son of Belus, has come by your ears

et incluta fama

gloria,

and by repute his renowned glory,

quem falsa sub proditione Pelasgi

insontem infando indicio, quia bella vetabat,

demisere neci

he whom the Greeks sent down, innocent, to his death under a false accusation of treason, because he had opposed the war

nunc cassum lumine lugent:

now they mourn him deprived of the light of life:

illi me comitem et consanguinitate propinquum

pauper in arma pater primis hub misit ab annis.

my poor father sent me as a companion and a close relation here to be with him at war from my first years.

dum stata regno incolumis regumque vigebat

conciliis,

while he was safely settled in his kingdom and was strong with his Council of kings,

et nos aliquod nomenque decusque

gessimus.

we also had some renown of high esteem.

invidia postquam pellacis Ulixi

afterwards, with the malice of deceitful Odysseus

(haud ignota loquor)

(not speaking about unknown things)

superis concessit ab oris,

he withdrew from the shores of the living,

adflictus vitam in tenebris luctuque trahebam

I was crushed and I dragged out my life in darkness and grief,

et casum insontis mecum indignabar amici.

and I was angry with myself and the fate of my innocent friend.

nec tacui demens

mad, I did not keep silent

et me, fors si qua tulisset,

si patrios umquam remeassem victor ad Argos,

promisi ultorem

and I promised myself as an avenger, if there was any chance of it offered, if I ever return as a victor to native Argos,

et verbis odia aspera movi.

and I stirred up bitter hatred with words.

hinc mihi prima mali labes,

hence my first disastrous slip,

hinc semper Ulixes

criminibus terrere novis,

hence Odysseus was always scaring me with new charges,

hinc spargere voces

in vulgum ambiguas

hence spreading double-edged rumours among the people

et quaerere conscius arma.

and deliberately looking for arms.

nec requievit enim, donec Calchante ministro -

in fact he did not rest until Calchas as his accomplice -

sed quid ego haec autem nequiquam ingrata revolvo,

But why do I go over these unpleasant things in vain,

quidve moror?

or why do I delay?

si omnis uno ordine habetis Achivos,

if you hold all the Greeks in one group,

idque audire sat est,

and if it is enough to hear this,

iamdudum sumite poenas:

now at last exact punishment:

hoc Ithacus velit et magno mercentur Atridae.’

the Ithacan wants this and the sons of Atreus would buy this for a great price.’

Tum vero ardemus scitari et quaerere causas,

then indeed we are burning to ask questions and to seek the reasons,

ignari scelerum tantorum artisque Pelasgae.

we are ignorant of such great wickedness and cunning of the Greeks.

prosequitur pavitans et ficto pectore fatur:

trembling, he continued and with feign emotion he spoke:

‘Saepe fugam Danai Troia cupiere relicta

moliri et longo fessi discedere bello;

‘often the Greeks desired to set in motion flight, and after they left Troy weary, to depart from the long war;

fecissentque utinam!

if only they had done this!

saepe illos aspera ponti

interclusit hiems

Often the harsh, stormy weather of the sea prevented them

et terruit Auster euntis.

and the south wind terrified them as they were going.

praecipue cum iam hic trabibus contextus acernis

staret equus,

especially when now here the horse of interwoven maple beams stood,

toto sonuerunt aethere nimbi.

thunderclouds resounded in all of the upper sky.

suspensi Eurypylum scitatum oracula Phoebi

mittimus,

Perplexed we sent Eurypylus to ask questions of the oracle of Phoebus,

isque adytis haec tristia dicta reportat:

and he brought back these sad words from the shrine:

“sanguine placastis ventos et virgine caesa,

“you pacified the winds with blood and with a slaughtered maiden,

cum primum Iliacas, Danai, venistis ad oras:

when you first came to the shores of Troy, Greeks:

sanguine quaerendi reditus animaque litandum

Argolica.”

you must seek return with blood, you must make a sacrifice with a Greek life.”

vulgi quae vox ut venit ad auris,

when this speech came to the ears of the (common) people,

obstipuere animi gelidusque per ima cucurrit

ossa tremor,

their minds were astounded and an icy tremor ran through the depths of their bones,

cui fata parent,

wondering whom they should prepare for death,

quem poscat Apollo.

whom Apollo demands.

hic Ithacus vatem magno Calchanta tumultu

protrahit in medios;

here at this point, the Ithacan dragged forward the prophet Calchas, into the middle of us with a great uproar;

quae sint ea numina divum

flagitat.

(who) he demanded what was the divine will of the gods.

et mihi iam multi crudele canebant

artificis scelus,

and now many were predicting for me the cruel end that the schemer was planning for me,

et taciti ventura videbant.

and silently they saw what was coming.

bis quinos silet ille dies tectusque recusat

he was silent for ten days and concealed,

prodere voce sua quemquam aut opponere morti.

shutting himself away he was refusing to say what would betray anyone with his own voice or to expose them to death.

vix tandem, magnis Ithaci clamoribus actus,

reluctantly at last, drove on by the great shouts of the Ithacan,

composito rumpit vocem et me destinat arae.

he broke his silence by agreement and he marked me down for the altar.

adsensere omnes et, quae sibi quisque timebat,

and everyone agreed, and each feared the fate for himself,

unius in miseri exitium conversa tulere.

they endured it when it was directed to the ruin of one wretched man.

iamque dies infanda aderat;

and now the unspeakable day was here;

mihi sacra parari

et salsae fruges et circum tempora vittae.

the sacred rites were prepared for me and the salted grain and the headbands around my temples.

eripui, fateor, leto me et vincula rupi,

I confess, I saved myself from death and broke the chains,

limosoque lacu per noctem obscurus in ulva

delitui dum vela darent, si forte dedissent.

and I hid through the night, hidden from view, in the muddy sedge of the lake until they set sail, if by chance they had [set sail]

nec mihi iam patriam antiquam spes ulla videndi

nec dulcis natos exoptatumque parentem,

now there is no hope of seeing my former homeland for me, not my beloved sons and longed for parents,

quos illi fors et poenas ob nostra reposcent

effugia,

whom they will maybe punish on account of our escapes,

et culpam hanc miserorum morte piabunt.

and they will make full atonement for this wrong doing by death of their wretched selves.